Illegal pet turtles being sold on streets
There seems to be a glut of illegal turtles on the streets of Baltimore. Very tiny ones.
Baltimore police seized 28 young turtles this week from street vendors selling the animals as pets, a practice that poses health and legal risks, authorities say.
City police have seized 96 turtles in the past two weeks. Two men were arrested, one May 30 in the 100 block of N. Eutaw St. and the other Monday in the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Ave. They are being charged with attempting to sell an exotic animal and vending without a permit. They could face fines of up to $1,750 and one year in prison.
Maryland Department of Natural Res
ources Officer K. Michael Lathroum says most of the turtles are coming from turtle farms in Louisiana and Florida."
According to Lathroum, street vendors are able to purchase the turtles wholesale for about 50 cents each, and usually end up selling them for $10 to $15 each. The turtles measure about 1½ inches in length, making it easy for vendors to have a large number of them at a time.
Although it is illegal in Maryland to possess a turtle whose shell is less than 4 inches wide, there continues to be a thriving market for the small, red-eared sliders such as the ones the police seized.
People who buy them as pets may not realize that the turtles can grow to be up to 1 foot long and that they pose the risk of spreading salmonella to children.
The Baltimore City Health Department recommends washing your hands thoroughly after handling reptiles and other pets or coming into contact with their water, food or housing containers. Do not feed your pet or clean its housing area where you prepare your food.
To report an individual engaged in the illegal possession or selling of young turtles or reptiles, please call the city information line – 311. For more information on keeping turtles as pets, visit the CDC’s Web site.
The small and cute red-eared slider turtle is illegal in Maryland until the carapace reaches 4 inches in size. Recently, 96 turtles were seized from illegal street vendors on Baltimore streets. Twenty-eight were displayed today at the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter. Sun photo by Christopher T. Assaf.
